"Rondum Lukan? Are you certain, Jibrail?" The Emperor asked, utterly curious regarding the emergence of the name.
"Yes, I am definitely not mistaken."
"If I recall correctly, it has been a few aethras ever since the Count's passing. His soul is no longer a part of nature." The Emperor said as his eyes narrowed into slits, the gears in his head now turning more vigorous than ever.
In the interim, Mikhail was pondering on a lot of issues. He didn't care as to what the identity of Zelel's stalker was, since his concern was solely on the Prime Minister himself. Thus, he spoke up.
"If Zelel sees that man, I do not even know what will transpire in that forest. Though, before anything else, can you tell us what happened in your talk with the Angels? That is if you suffer the same fate as us."
The Emperor remarked the prying gaze of Mikhail, aware that his knight had already accepted that he was privy of vital information. A staredown transpired between the two individuals until the monarch diverted his gaze first, soughing ahead of speaking up.
"Again, they warned us to not use their invocatory verses to summon them again. All the same, they gave me the power to defeat the Demon Noble named Sitri."
"So, they're the one who took Duchess Tristan's scroll?" Mikhail queried as he contemplated on the matter. However, there was something that greatly bothered him. Thus, he articulated it, hoping that his comrades would share his sentiments.
"Demon Nobles are capable of assuming a human form. It is for a fact that human morphing is a common ability for some of the races in this world also. Be that as it may, in this kind of circumstance, the one copying Rondum Lukan's form is a Demon Noble. Am I making any sense?"
Thereafter saying that, Mikhail glanced at his comrades' countenances. He saw that some of them were nodding while the rest were trying to ponder over his statements in silence, so he felt satisfied. Quelling his curiosity, he moved along his speech.
"Wait-" A troubling thought suddenly appeared in his head, deciding to address it quickly. "Iophiel, are you sure that your scroll is still with you? Because I don't see the reason why the Angels would take Haniel's but not yours."
Upon hearing the commander's concern, Iophiel checked the inner pocket of his coat. When his eyebrows furrowed so deeply, Mikhail knew that his worry was validated.
"I'm afraid that they took it too, My Lord. I apologize." Iophiel uttered as he bowed his head, apologetic of the incident.
Truth to be told, he shouldn't partake of the blame. Withal, seeing the seething gazes of the Emperor and Mikhail urged him to ask for forgiveness, lest angering them further with his report.
"If we're lucky enough that Zelel's scroll is still on his person, then he might be assigned to Saleos or the presumed Demon Noble that is trailing him. Provided that we should have three scrolls left, there are three Demon Nobles that we have yet to deal with - They are Saleos, Sitri, and one unnamed. The question is, how are we going to defeat the Nobles without the scrolls?"
A moment of quietude took over the gathering since they were all doing their own thinking. Soon, their temporary repose was broken when an agitated groan escaped the Emperor's mouth.
"Mikhail, I think I forgot to tell you some details."
"Do tell, Your Majesty."
"The Angels told me that Sitri is the only remaining Noble inside the barrier."
It's an understatement to say that Mikhail was appalled of what he had just harkened. His eyes that widened to their limits and mouth that went agape, they were not able to perfectly express the consternation that attacked his conscience.
"The extent of their surveillance of the Demon Nobles surpasses that of any being's capabilities. Nonetheless, it is not their true forms that descend to this world, but a fraction of their consciousness, so it is not as powerful. Still, the angels should have been able to detect two other Demon Nobles within the vicinity of the three lands." The Emperor supplemented his news, yet in a nonchalant tone that did not give justice to the gravity of the newly risen ordeal.
The knights readily understood what he was trying to get across to them, inwardly bemoaning at the realization.
"A Demon Noble is outside of the barrier. What if there are more than one of them that are on the loose?" The Emperor lowered his head as he redid his judgment.
It was simply a murmuring of the Emperor, a 'what if'. Withal, the Rounds had heard it loud and clear alongside an ominous omen that clouded the ambience of their group. By and by, the monarch duly cut-off his contemplation to address the knights.
"To compress what we are going to carry out, we need to fetch Zelel and force our way out of this barrier as soon as possible. I'm going to summon the three Axhiven Knights to come to our aid. I'll leave it to them to imprison the Demon Nobles for the time being."
The Rounds did not hesitate in heeding his orders, for the reason that it was the most optimal method for them to utilize at present. Ensuing Mikhail's acceptance of the command, they stretched their limbs in preparation for the long run that they have to go through. As they finished, the knight assumed a formation that placed the Emperor in the middle of their circle. Thereupon, the sole thing to do was to abide for the monarch's signal.
Taking a deep breath, the Emperor turned his body to face the forest, and ordered, "Depart."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"You've been following me throughout this whole time. Who are you?"
"I guess you found out. I do not mean any harm."
"Your tone implies otherwise."
Zelel finally decided to confront the individual who had been tailing him. He became cognizant of its presence when he observed that the path that he was walking on didn't have a concrete destination.
"Show yourself."
The Prime Minister proceeded to face the part of the forest where he presumed the existence was. It was quite dark inside the woodland. Moreover, the towering trees blocked any source of illumination from its surroundings. Well, it wouldn't pose to be a challenge for Zelel to see in the darkness.
In a second, a figure of a man, almost as tall as him, revealed itself from hiding behind a far off tree. If the other knights were startled when they heard of the identity of the man, Zelel was not, even the least bit. He was able to rapidly process a lot of information in his mind, keeping his calm the entire period.
"Do you have a knack of bringing up unpleasant memories? I can turn a blind eye if it's only talking about him, but seeing that face makes me sick to the core." Zelel uttered, letting his voice do the job of conveying his despisement.
"What did this man ever do to you? Ah-" The individual mockingly exclaimed while housing a grin on its face, ostensibly teasing the uptight Zelel. "A very bad uncle indeed."
The minister kept his reticence on the mysterious being's evident provocation. Still, the stranger was not planning to stop with its preference for enjoyment.
"How dare he hit your mother like that! It is not your mother's fault that the heir to the ducal house became her, yet Rondum refused to acknowledge that."
Every deprecating statement that he harkened from his stalker, Zelel took a step. Although he did not display aggression, the man's eyes were murky with rancour.
"Your mother didn't want to be an addition to your uncle's grief that she accepted all of his ill intentions. It went to the point that she nearly died out of your uncle's spite. Poor, poor Li-"
"I will appreciate it if you have any thoughts of stopping soon." Zelel intervened with the individual's unwarranted reminiscence.
At this stage, they were barely a meter apart. Having a face-off with someone he did not covet to exist brought disgust to the wholeness of Zelel's being. Memories of the time when his mother confessed about the terrible abuse she had suffered, from the hands of her own relative to boot, resurfaced on his mind.
Instead of responding, the poser in front of him let out a menacing laugh - One that irked him, sending a chilling sensation to every inch of his bones. Then, the being inquired, "Want to have a reunion with your dear uncle?"
"I do not possess the hobby of the enjoyment of masochism, unfortunately. How about letting me crush that revolting head on your body?"
In the beginning, Zelel was a knight in service of the crowned prince, who was now the Emperor. Lamentably for his career, It took only one incident for him to disavow the glory of the battlefield, discarding violence from his system. Nevertheless, to each his own, he desired more of beating the hell out of his conversation partner for degrading his mother rather than his own survival.
"Oh, you want to fight?"
Zelel did not entertain the being's taunts any more. In lieu of that, he raised his right-hand side-wards before calling his trusted weapon.
"Cresco, Terre Desserte"